Post Corey Kluber Trade: The Book On Emmanuel Clase
While much of the MLB free agency conversation will revolve around the recent trade of Corey Kluber, there should also be a talk on the other end. With the departure of Kluber from the Cleveland Indians come the arrival of Delino DeShields Jr. and right-handed pitcher Emmanuel Clase to the Texas Rangers.
On the mound, while Indians fans may feel the hurt, it’s been clear that Kluber wasn’t in Cleveland’s long term plans. From the injury woes to the hefty contract, there wasn’t a strong chance he would dawn and Indians uniform once more. Now enter Emmanuel Clase.
The History
It’s been quite the journey so far for the 21-year old hurler. Clase entered the professional baseball ranks as a member of the San Diego Padres organization as an international free agent in 2015. He remained within the organization for a few years until coming over to Texas in a trade that included Brett Nicholas to the Padres along with a player to be named later.
The Clase Case
While the loss of Kluber may sting right now it’s the near future of Clase that Indians fans should now turn to. It’s been a long time since the Indians possessed a flamethrower who could rival that of Aroldis Chapman. Now they can wield a pitcher who’s first four pitches at the MLB level sat no less than 99 mph. With a lot of potential about him, Indians fans can only hope Clase turns into the second coming of Mariano Rivera with his two-pitch mix of fastball and slider. Averaging a fastball velocity around 99 mph, the mix mostly favors the fastball to the tune of 80 percent usage compared to 20 percent slider usage.
What makes things, even more, promising for Clase are the extra features that come with his dynamic pitches. Over the course of the 2019 season, Clase had a movement of 1.4 vertical inches and 4.6 horizontal inches on his fastball velocity. That alone ranked fourth-highest within in the MLB ranks.
Last year, while lacking in volume, did show a glimpse of what could be against MLB competition. Through 23.1 innings of work, Clase allowed just six earned runs and six walks while dishing out 23 strikeouts.
Additional Benefits
What really sets Clase apart and more reason why his addition is beneficial for the Indians comes along with the pitching skills. Last year alone, Clase posted a ground ball rate of 60.6 percent, a good 15 percent higher than the league average (44 percent). With the money that Cleveland looks to save with letting go of Kluber, they might be thinking to add talent up the middle of the infield to accommodate. The move acts as a way to add future talent ready now and wiggle room for an impact buy.
More of what proves the legitimacy of Clase’s addition comes in the form of what many care about most, the strikeout. The 21-year old held a strikeout rate of 22.3 percent across the 2019 campaign.
Upfront the optics of the whole transaction might not seem the greatest. Going from a two-time Cy Young award winner to a mere reliever might seem off but it’s what comes next for the Indians that will really tie this move altogether.
